Ever since Tohru Honda discovered the Zodiac secret of the Sohma clan, her eyes have opened to a world of magic and wonder. But with such a great secret comes great responsibility. When her best friends Hana-chan and Uo-chan come to the Sohma home for a sleepover, Tohru has her work cut outA family with an ancient curse...

And the girl who will change their lives forever...

Ever since Tohru Honda discovered the Zodiac secret of the Sohma clan, her eyes have opened to a world of magic and wonder. But with such a great secret comes great responsibility. When her best friends Hana-chan and Uo-chan come to the Sohma home for a sleepover, Tohru has her work cut out for her keeping the "Cat" in the bag and the "Dog" on a leash....more

Paperback, 194 pages

Published
April 13th 2004
by TokyoPop
(first published June 18th 1999)

Y’all. I have spent my life laboring, apparently, under a huge sort of misconception.

You know how you go to Chinese restaurants and the menus have all the zodiac animals on it so you can see how you’re supposed to be behaving?

Those always drove me a little crazy. Because I am a Year of the Ox girl, and people born in the year of the ox are supposed to be patient, and hard-working, and calm, and shy, and good with money, and also good at, like, making things.

I am none of these things, friends.

SoY’all. I have spent my life laboring, apparently, under a huge sort of misconception.

You know how you go to Chinese restaurants and the menus have all the zodiac animals on it so you can see how you’re supposed to be behaving?

Those always drove me a little crazy. Because I am a Year of the Ox girl, and people born in the year of the ox are supposed to be patient, and hard-working, and calm, and shy, and good with money, and also good at, like, making things.

I am none of these things, friends.

So I was always all, pshaw, stupid horoscope thingies, they are full of falsehood.

Then while I’m reading the last page of this manga, the author kindly notes that if you’re born towards the beginning of the year, you’re probably the previous year’s animal. Because the Chinese New Year doesn’t correspond with January 1st.

Also, “An interesting facet of the rat’s personality is that… they often single out the small nit-picky details and gloss over the other nicer points.”

Also, “Rats also hold onto an exorbitant amount of trinkets and mementos from past experiences. This ‘pack rat’ mentality is detrimental though since rats often pick up or buy things they never really needed in the first place.”

GUYS I AM HAVING A CRISIS HERE I DO NOT WANT TO BE THIS ANIMAL BECAUSE THEY ARE PLAGUE-RIDDEN BUT IT SOUNDS MORE LIKE ME FOR SURE THAN THE COW DID!!

Um.

Also, my review of the manga:

In volume two of Fruits Basket, we learn that Shigure writes trashy soft-core porn (I feel like he’d be a fanfiction addict, for sure), that Momiji dresses like he’s constantly prepping for submission to Rookie, and that Hatori seriously needs to get laid.

There is more of Tohru being noble and self-sacrificing, natch.

And further secrets of the Mysterious Hat are revealed.

“It would be an even better story if you met him again and fell in love!” her friends sing to one another as Tohru tells them the amazing story of how some strange kid gave her a baseball cap, and as the page frame zooms in wildly on Kyo while he lurks outside the door and tries not to look like he used to be a strange baseball-cap-dispensing kid.

Jubilation LeeSophia wrote: "Imma dragon!! SEAHORSE!!!! I don't even know what kind of water I'm supposed to have. :D"

Seahorses are awesome, though! They can changeSophia wrote: "Imma dragon!! SEAHORSE!!!! I don't even know what kind of water I'm supposed to have. :D"

Seahorses are awesome, though! They can change color, and the male seahorses get preggers instead of the females, and they make adorable little clicking noises! They're much cooler than rats. ;)...more
Jan 30, 2014 08:14PM

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.I love Fruits Basket! As I finsihed this book, it's pretty interesting about Hatori (has the spirit of the dragon).

I would add this kind of quote to my profile from this volume 2:

Hatori:"When snow melts, what do think it becomes?"Tohru: "Huh? Ah...Um, well...Hmm. It becomes spring! No matter how cold it is now, Spring will come again! Without fail. It's strange, isn't it? But it's true."

ALSO:

Hatori: Please let her... find someone who can make her happy. I pray. Even if I die surrounded by snowI love Fruits Basket! As I finsihed this book, it's pretty interesting about Hatori (has the spirit of the dragon).

I would add this kind of quote to my profile from this volume 2:

Hatori:"When snow melts, what do think it becomes?"Tohru: "Huh? Ah...Um, well...Hmm. It becomes spring! No matter how cold it is now, Spring will come again! Without fail. It's strange, isn't it? But it's true."

ALSO:

Hatori: Please let her... find someone who can make her happy. I pray. Even if I die surrounded by snow that never melts... I don't care. Please... Please......more

Yet another good volume of Fruits Basket! In this volume we are introduced to more characters and more depth of the Sohma family's life with the curse.

But here's a random question: why are Tohru and Yuki surrounded by little bubbles on the cover, but the rest of the characters aren't? Hmmm...

I really like Tohru's friends. They are both very interesting but I do think that the fact that Hana can read electric waves or use them is a bit random... however that even works.

But of course, Hana is stYet another good volume of Fruits Basket! In this volume we are introduced to more characters and more depth of the Sohma family's life with the curse.

But here's a random question: why are Tohru and Yuki surrounded by little bubbles on the cover, but the rest of the characters aren't? Hmmm...

I really like Tohru's friends. They are both very interesting but I do think that the fact that Hana can read electric waves or use them is a bit random... however that even works.

But of course, Hana is starting to catch on to Kyo and Yuki's "cat-and-mouse-fights". Am I the only who thinks it's kind of pitiful that Yuki defeats Kyo very easily considering that Kyo had all this training up in the mountains? And how is it that Yuki is stronger in his sleep? I don't really know much about sleep walking, but I do know that it's a really bad idea to try and wake that person up. I also thought it was funny that Shigure is a novelist that writes really perverted books.....you sly dog (you saw what I did there??? haha). So, it was nice to see the characterization and the different personalities of the characters which is what will definitely help you remember them better as the story progresses.

In this volume we are also introduced to the darkness that is involved with having the Sohma curse. Unlike the first volume, this one starts to delve into the deep past that haunts the people that live with this curse. This particular instance is about a character named Hatori (who is a member of the zodiac) and how he fell in love with a regular woman named Kana. I felt really bad for Hatori because not only did he really love Kana and wanted to be with her, but he had to erase her memories in the end because Akito (the head ot the sohmas) said that she would be taking Hatori away. He story is really sad and moving and he simply didn't want Tohru to go through the same thing that Kana did. He understood her loss and sadness because he saw it for himself and felt that erasing memories of their relationship would help her heal. But what I've always wondered was how is he able to erase memories? I always found it a very interesting fact about Hatori despite the fact that it's never actually explained.

Also in this volume we meet Momiji and Hatsuharu Sohma. Hatsuharu is only there briefly but Momiji is officially introduced to Tohru and it's easy to tell that they will be friends because he is a simple, fun loving kid.

The plot moves at a relaxed pace to introduce the characters and get a feel for everyday life as a Sohma. The festival may have seemed random, but if you really think about it they had to help each other problem solve so that Momiji wouldn't get exposed when he transformed.

Of course, several parts were a bit overdramatic, but isn't real life? Even though this is a fantasy shoujo that deals with transformation, there are some very real aspects that someone can take away from this series. And that's cool....more

Ah i so loved meeting Tohru's friends ,Uo and especially Hanajima with all her electromagnetic waves.

I also so loved reading Hatori's backstory .It was so sad and touching .

“To me...she was spring. It was as if while imprisoned inside the dark cage of the inner family...I had completely frozen into snow...and then there she was--fresh, clear spring. It was almost inevitable that..I would fall in love with her. -Hatori”

so after the snow melts , spring comes

It was so sweet watching Tohru getting aAh i so loved meeting Tohru's friends ,Uo and especially Hanajima with all her electromagnetic waves.

I also so loved reading Hatori's backstory .It was so sad and touching .

“To me...she was spring. It was as if while imprisoned inside the dark cage of the inner family...I had completely frozen into snow...and then there she was--fresh, clear spring. It was almost inevitable that..I would fall in love with her. -Hatori”

so after the snow melts , spring comes

It was so sweet watching Tohru getting along really well with the family

“So let me get this straight. You were living in a tent in the woods, but now you're living with Prince Charming and anger management boy? SERIOUSLY?!”

and i am sooo into Kyo's jerkiness.His fights with Yuki are just mm :

“Sometimes it feels like the whole world is conspiring to destroy my house... "- Shigure Sohma”

Yet another great volume of Fruits Basket. This volume is one of my favorites. It gets more indepth with the characters and their past lives. We even get introduced to two new, no, make that THREE new characters. Though we do see more of two than three... yeah... I usually don't make sense when I do my reviews but hey, unless you want spoilers, then don't complain! Anyway, I really love this volume. The drama in this one was way more intense than it was with the first volume and it's only goingYet another great volume of Fruits Basket. This volume is one of my favorites. It gets more indepth with the characters and their past lives. We even get introduced to two new, no, make that THREE new characters. Though we do see more of two than three... yeah... I usually don't make sense when I do my reviews but hey, unless you want spoilers, then don't complain! Anyway, I really love this volume. The drama in this one was way more intense than it was with the first volume and it's only going to get more intense as the volumes go by!

Takaya-sensei is such a cool mangaka. In this volume, I felt you got to know her a lot better because of the fact that she interacts directly with the reader through her messages that she puts at the beginning of each chapter. She really is a huge gamer and to see that she's a fan of Final Fantasy was just awesome to me. I'm a huge fan of the franchise myself and seeing that she spoke so highly of FFVII just made me tear up inside. That's not to say that I didn't enjoy the plot for this volume. I love that she went into the past of her characters and really worked hard on developing Tohru, Yuki, and Kyo as well as introducing Momiji and Hatori (and Haru but we don't learn much about him in this volume). Really, Takaya-sensei is just an amazing person.

As I've said before, she managed to develop Tohru. Tohru in this one, although still very happy and gentle, you get to see a much more sadder side to her, too, because life is not always happy... it makes her seem more realistic and for that, I appreciated her all the more. The same thing could be said about Kyo and Yuki. You get to see their reasons for envying and wanting to be like one another. You understand why they fight each other so much. It's nice because it clears up that their fighting is not just some stupid rivarly that they have. It runs much more deeper than that. Plus, they get the approval of Hana and Uo and we all know they are the law! XD No, seriously, these two girls are just epic. They would do anything in order to protect Tohru. Anything. Hana's psychic abilities are so intriguing. I don't know how they work but damn, I wish I had them! XD (Shigure didn't do much in this volume but he does have some strange aura about him that... you just want to eat him in order to find out what that may be. XD Plus, I want to read his books... just because. XD)

We just met Momiji and Hatori! One of the cutest and coolest characters ever to come into existence! Momiji is adorable. I cannot express this enough! He's so sweet, cuddly, cute, and lovable! He accepts Tohru right away and welcomes her without any hesitation whatsoever. Plus, he's half German! How awesome is that? I loves me my Germans~ *Squeezes Cloud* Anyway, we don't know much about him yet. We'll get to see more about him in later volumes. The one we do get to know quite well is Hatori. I love this man. He's so kind, gentle, caring, and... *Frowns* ...his past is one of true tragedy. It'll bring you to tears what he had to go through and how he had no choice but to do what he had to do. It's so painful... but... Tohru makes it better, I feel. And the way his personality is, he was able to come to terms with himself and that leaves at least a bit of hope. I love this man so much... I hope that one day... he'll be able to find spring again. *Smiles faintly*

Yeah, like I said, one of my favorite volumes of the entire manga. I love the characters, the plot, the artwork. Everything. It's just so... I don't know how to say it... exquisite? Yeah, we'll go with that. X3 I really love how everything seems to flow so well. Takaya-sensei really knew how to balance this manga out very well. You have the comedy and the drama. The romance and the tragedy. The hopelessness and the hope. I love this manga. It's really worth the read. I believe you should pick this one up if you're a manga fan. Even more so if you're a shoujo fan! Trust me. The story and the characters are worth your time. *Nods*...more

N.T. EmbeI agree with you completely. A lot of people, and I'm one of those, tend to avoid things because they're so hyped up and popular. I feel that theI agree with you completely. A lot of people, and I'm one of those, tend to avoid things because they're so hyped up and popular. I feel that the Fruits Basket phase has already died out, but, there are always those that hold back on reading it because it -is- such a big thing. Almost everyone that's into manga, and specifically Shoujo, will know of if not have already read this series.

But I can assure every reader of one thing: This series... is not overrated. No matter what you see about it, it is so worth it. Trust us two on this. We're not the type to fangirl-love-obsess over just anything. And do you know how hard it is to get -Rain- to like a female lead?! HAH! You'd want to rip out your hair in frustration if you knew! X3...more
Jun 08, 2011 02:40PM

Rain MisoaExactly! I believe they know how pissed off I get with female leads if they saw my previous reviews where I bash the girls. XD But this is one ofExactly! I believe they know how pissed off I get with female leads if they saw my previous reviews where I bash the girls. XD But this is one of those where I actually like the female lead and I would tear anyone apart if they said they hated her! ROAR!

*Ahem* So I hate shoujo but this one? This one I so love and adore~ <333 I cannot wait to read more of it soon! I need to be done before Saturday because that's when my father is free and can take me to the library again! <3333...more
Jun 08, 2011 02:44PM

N.T. Embe*Laughs!* That's true! I've only been here for a short time, so I didn't get to read a lot of the reviews you'd done with other books! I'm sure they*Laughs!* That's true! I've only been here for a short time, so I didn't get to read a lot of the reviews you'd done with other books! I'm sure they -do- have a great idea of it then! ^__^ Yay! <333

And this one IS great! I can't wait for you to read all the volumes you took out! 8DD And then to the end! Eeeeee!!! It's so exciting! You're finally getting to read it! <333 And without needing to worry about faulty and inconsistent online translations! ^___^ <3333 I'm so happy for you!...more
Jun 08, 2011 03:58PM

This was just as good as the first volume — it was perfectly weird and wonderful.

What's what: The Sohma family are possessed by the spirits of the Chinese zodiac, and if they're ever hugged by the opposite sex they transform into their zodiac animal. I still found the premise kind of wacky but in a good way. Tohru (the clumsy homeless heroine) quite literally stumbled onto their secret. She now lives in the Sohma house with three of the Sohma boys — good guy Yuki (rat), moody Kyo (cat),Spoilers

This was just as good as the first volume — it was perfectly weird and wonderful.

What's what: The Sohma family are possessed by the spirits of the Chinese zodiac, and if they're ever hugged by the opposite sex they transform into their zodiac animal. I still found the premise kind of wacky but in a good way. Tohru (the clumsy homeless heroine) quite literally stumbled onto their secret. She now lives in the Sohma house with three of the Sohma boys — good guy Yuki (rat), moody Kyo (cat), and pervy Shigure (dog). Oh and Tohru stays with them rent free in exchange for cooking and cleaning. Yea, it was all rather sexist, but it kind of felt satirical - I'm not sure whether that was intentional or not though.

-The plot was sort of all over the place - Tohru's friends have a sleepover at the Sohma house to make sure she's been treated right. Then Tohru/Kyo/Yuki and co sell rice at school, also Tohru meets more of the Sohma family, and then everyone celebrates new year. It was actually really entertaining.

-I loved Tohru. I was worried that I would get sick of her Mary Sue optimism but thankfully, I didn't. Mind you, this is only volume 2… I've got another twenty or so to go… So no doubt, she'll annoy me soon enough.The best thing about Tohru was how funny she was — most of the time it was unintentional on her part. Things like Tohru falling down because she was walking and thinking at the same time, and her getting excited at the most silliest things, and making really naive + idiotic remarks… It all should have been annoying but for some reason it wasn't — it was just strangely charming.

-I loved Tohru's female friends. Hana and Arisa/Uo were brilliant… They had good personalities that I felt rivaled Tohru's. I get overly happy when the heroine has strong female friendships, and I get even more happier when her friends aren't written poorly just so the heroine can seem amazing, deep and worthwhile in comparison. More heroines should have friends as amazing as Tohru's.

-I'm intrigued by Hana's psychic powers, I'm hoping there'll be some focus on that in future volumes. I loved Uo/Arisa's attitude — she was supportive, witty and confident. It was cool that Hana and Uo were genuinely concerned about Tohru and her life at the Sohma's… I liked it when Uo and Hana made it clear to the Sohma boys that if any harm came to Tohru they would hurt them. Females sticking together, that's what I like to see.

-Yuki was kind of irritating in how great he was at everything, he was a total Gary Stu. And his personality was too smooth and bland. He was okay but just not my cup of tea.

-Kyo was sweet in that sullen, moody and angry way. I definitely ship Kyo with Tohru.

-Momiji was lovely and cute. And Hatori was likeable enough — his break up with Kana was rather sad.

-The artwork was great… But at times it was difficult to tell who was who. Also, Yuki looked like a girl in a lot of panels.

-I'm finding it easier to follow the dialogue and speech bubbles - I struggled slightly in the first volume.

I'll definitely be picking up volume 3 ASAP. I can't wait to read more of Tohru's silliness and Kyo's moodiness....more

Two new characters were added: Momiji and Hatori. The curse was developed a little bit further, but it's still a mystery overall. Can it be broken? I love seeing all the characters interact with one another. It's so cute and funny most of the time like when Hana gets both Kyo and Yuki to go back to the house to spend New Years with Tohru, that was super sweet. This installment presented the problem that Tohru's memories could be wiped by Hatori should he choose or Akito give the order. We also lTwo new characters were added: Momiji and Hatori. The curse was developed a little bit further, but it's still a mystery overall. Can it be broken? I love seeing all the characters interact with one another. It's so cute and funny most of the time like when Hana gets both Kyo and Yuki to go back to the house to spend New Years with Tohru, that was super sweet. This installment presented the problem that Tohru's memories could be wiped by Hatori should he choose or Akito give the order. We also learn a little more about the Sohma clan and how they live in their estate. Hatori also relives some painful memories, but has the epiphany that there's still hope for the members of the zodiac thanks to Tohru. I also really love the art in the novels and I think I'll re-watch the anime once I have time ^.^...more

This volume gets the highest rating because a good portion of it focuses on perhaps my favorite character of the series- Hatori. Hatori is the responsible one of the older triad (of whom right now we only know Shigure but we will later meet Ayame). Hatori is also the family doctor and the one who erases memories. Hatori initially is portrayed as someone to be feared, but we quickly learn just how deep and beautiful his heart is. I absolutely adore the complicated tortured nature of his characterThis volume gets the highest rating because a good portion of it focuses on perhaps my favorite character of the series- Hatori. Hatori is the responsible one of the older triad (of whom right now we only know Shigure but we will later meet Ayame). Hatori is also the family doctor and the one who erases memories. Hatori initially is portrayed as someone to be feared, but we quickly learn just how deep and beautiful his heart is. I absolutely adore the complicated tortured nature of his character and yearn for more throughout the series.

We also meet Momiji. I like Momiji more later in the series- right now he's a bit too hyper and whiny for my taste. The additional German pieces of his character were a cute addition from what I saw in the anime though.

We get to know Tohru's best friends Uo and Hana a bit more as well. Both are fiercely loyal and fiercely protective of Tohru, reminding me of a few of my own friends. They also are interesting, intricate characters in their own right. That right there makes me a big fan of the author- her willingness to make every character full-bodied in their own right, even if it means taking a longer route to tell the story.

(view spoiler)[ (Borrowing Wiki's description for now- may write my own later- just wanted enough that I'd remember what happened in each volume.) When Tohru's friends, Arisa Uotani and Saki Hanajima, learn of her living arrangements, they inspect them by way of a sleep-over before grudgingly approving. During the night, Tohru tells her friends about how once she got lost as a child and was led home by a boy who gave her his cap, which she now treasures. At her job as an office janitor, Tohru meets a beautiful, enthusiastic, German-speaking boy who turns out to be Momiji Sohma, whose father owns the building. To promote their onigiri booth in the school cultural festival, the class convinces Yuki to wear a dress and, to his embarrassment, Momiji and Hatori Sohma, the family doctor, see him in it. When Momiji hugs Tohru, however, he transforms into the Rabbit and the secret is nearly exposed, until Yuki distracts his classmates. Hatori asks Tohru to visit him at the main Sohma estate, to her trepidation, as he is the Sohma who can suppress memories. He warns her that the Sohmas and their curse are dangerous to know: when Akito violently disapproved of Hatori's engagement to an outsider, Hatori ultimately had to suppress his fiancee's memory of their engagement. At New Years, under Hanajima's prompting, Yuki and Kyo refuse to attend the obligatory banquet because that would leave Tohru alone. When Hatori meets Tohru again, she coincidentally repeats something his former fiancee said and he decides that no matter how cold winter is, "someday the snow will melt" around her. (hide spoiler)]...more

One of two things happen when you reread old manga. The first is a reaction that goes along the lines of "Oh God, why did I like this?" The second possibility is "Ah, now I remember why I like this so much. I missed this." Okay, there are a few variations, such as the "Lord, this is dated," but essential, it's either you're embarrassed to say you liked it or happy to rediscover a series you missed.

In Fruits Basket's case, it's the "I missed this" response for me. It doesn't feel dated. In fact,One of two things happen when you reread old manga. The first is a reaction that goes along the lines of "Oh God, why did I like this?" The second possibility is "Ah, now I remember why I like this so much. I missed this." Okay, there are a few variations, such as the "Lord, this is dated," but essential, it's either you're embarrassed to say you liked it or happy to rediscover a series you missed.

In Fruits Basket's case, it's the "I missed this" response for me. It doesn't feel dated. In fact, part of me wonders if Natsuki Takaya didn't have that in mind when she wrote it. There's nothing in here tht would really make a person go, "Ha ha, VHS..." or something similar.

I've always loved Fruits Basket, and I'm glad to see that, like fine wine, it has aged well....more

I'm loving the depth of this manga, and how things are similar and yet different to the anime.

There are so many of my favorite scenes in this volume! I love how Tohru keeps finding Kyo on rooftops, usually surrounded by cats. haha!I love any scene with Tohru's friends, Hana and Uotani. They are both such weird and wild people, and I adore their strange dialogue!Random Momiji kisses and hugs just make me happy. I really want to see Momiji doing his New Year's dance!

I did NOT like that Yuki was drI'm loving the depth of this manga, and how things are similar and yet different to the anime.

There are so many of my favorite scenes in this volume! I love how Tohru keeps finding Kyo on rooftops, usually surrounded by cats. haha!I love any scene with Tohru's friends, Hana and Uotani. They are both such weird and wild people, and I adore their strange dialogue!Random Momiji kisses and hugs just make me happy. I really want to see Momiji doing his New Year's dance!

I did NOT like that Yuki was dressed up as a girl to increase sales at their fair. That was weird and gross and creepy. But it was very cute when he got a button caught in his hair!

Once again, I was heartbroken by Hatori's backstory. So sad to lose someone you love!...more

This definitely was another cute installment to the Fruits Basket series. I was especially touched by the last part where we get to see a more heartfelt side of one the characters. It almost made me strongly dislike the curse. I'm definitely interested in seeing where the rest of the story leads so I'll be picking up volume 3 pretty soon. I also love how positive Tohru is. It takes a really strong person to experience everythUpdate: Here's my full review! http://www.bookishrealmreviews.com/20...

This definitely was another cute installment to the Fruits Basket series. I was especially touched by the last part where we get to see a more heartfelt side of one the characters. It almost made me strongly dislike the curse. I'm definitely interested in seeing where the rest of the story leads so I'll be picking up volume 3 pretty soon. I also love how positive Tohru is. It takes a really strong person to experience everything she has been through and still be thankful for everything that one has. This may only seem like a manga series, but it really made me evaluate how much I have in my life instead of wondering what I'm missing. ...more

Don't even read this review. It took me so long to get volume two of Fruits Basket that I had no idea what was going on. I love the refresher at the beginning and that helped tremendously but, in reading, I couldn't keep the characters straight so I was a little confused.

The first two thirds felt like fluff, the last third was intriguing. That is all.

havent read it yet i want to freakin read it thow on the internet for free!!!! why cant any one just see that? i came to this website to read books 4 free but i cant and it dosent even have a freakin help bar!!!!! what the heck?!?! this is a retarded webstie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I liked this edition a lot more than the first one. Very cute humor, and I'm enjoying the friendships the main character has, both involving the members of the zodiac, as well as people unconnected to that household. I'm glad this seems to have caught my interest more than the first book.

One of my very favorite episodes/chapters in FURUBA is the new year chapter.Kyou and Yuki have to go to the main house for new year's, and they're going to have to leave Tohru and home alone.But Tohru is like "NOOOOOH! i'll be fine, you two have fun!"With a biiiiiig grin on her face.

So they're on their way when Hana appears and says

HOW DARE YOU LEAVE TOHRU ALONE?! She'll be without her mother this year......she'll be sad.......ALONE. ALL BY HERSELF. Cold....just laying there in the bitter...bitter cold (*throws hand over forehead for maximum dramatic affect)

And Yuki and Kyou start thinking: NOH! We HAVE to go back home! Tohru is so much more important than some new year's party!

And they start thinking to themselves...how could she smile while she was waving to them when she was probably so sad inside? There's no girl who could possibly NOT MIND being alone.

And they came home and she was crying and they were like: IF WE HADN'T COME HOME, SHE MIGHT HAVE FROZEN HERE! frozen....in the bitter bitter cold (*throws hand over forehead for maximum dramatic affect)

JUST KIDDING, that's not what they really said but it's true. What person would truly want to be alone like that?

As for me, when she was waving like that, something inside me made me want to say "TELL THEM WHAT'S WRONG! Tell them you don't want to be alone!"Of course she didn't want to burden anyone. She thought she was a burden to them when she wasn't....

Which gets me thinking, Tohru sure does smile a lot, even when things are crappy for her, and why does she smile though?

Because she feels better when she's happy?

NOH!Because if she's happy, she's not worrying other people. She's not making people upset by being upset. She thinks, "Oh, people have their own problems, they don't need me to add to them..."So maybe that's what that smile is for.

And it is sad. And it would be even sadder if no one noticed she wasn't okay, but people did notice, and they protected her anyway.

(*SNIFF) IN LIFE, you need friends like these.

Tohru just has a sense of when to be happy. Other people are going to have fun--instead of being sad for yourself, BE HAPPY FOR THEM!

And when good things happen to her, she can smile for hours and hours.

HATORI'S STORY...is something else. T_TIt made me cry by the bucket load. I'm not even going to spoil it because I want my fellow review readers to read it for themselves!

And because my hands are getting tired from typing on this tiny phone and I need to rest them...

But doing something selfless--taking away your own happiness so the one you love will be happy is love.THAT...IS LOVE.When their happiness affects your happiness. When your happiness depends on their happiness. When you could give up anything just for them. When you care about them so...so...so much that you just.......(*SOB) you just want them happy!

It's rare to find love like that, but it's out there. And it is dramatic, and sad. And it is heart wrenching and tear jerking, but that's what love is.

Rereading these, I am trying to capture what it is that makes them special to me, and as always when I read manga, my reading outpaces my ability to write -- so now it has been over a month, and what was it I wanted to say about this volume?

(view spoiler)[I like the deeper look into Kyo and Yuki's relationship, that they are each jealous of the other -- it is the same inside/outside of the cage desires that are spelled out in the first volume. Yuki looks at Kyo and thinks, he could be just a norRereading these, I am trying to capture what it is that makes them special to me, and as always when I read manga, my reading outpaces my ability to write -- so now it has been over a month, and what was it I wanted to say about this volume?

(view spoiler)[I like the deeper look into Kyo and Yuki's relationship, that they are each jealous of the other -- it is the same inside/outside of the cage desires that are spelled out in the first volume. Yuki looks at Kyo and thinks, he could be just a normal person, people like him easily, I want to be like that, normal, outside the cage, free. And Kyo looks at Yuki and thinks, he is so much better at me, he is intelligent and people trust him, I want to be such.

So Yuki's path is clear, that is why the student council arc a friend of mine disliked so much, for him to begin to build his outside self, to start that growth into someone who is not only a Sohma. And for Kyo, well, I will look for it, how it ties in thematically -- I think for him to trust himself enough that he may believe in Tohru's trust in him.

Ah, yes, and this is the volume in which we hear Hatori's story, the inside/outside distinction is made plain, and we hear that Akito is trying to use Tohru, although not to what end. And the reminder that these people are cursed, the spirits are vengeful, that it is not 'fun and games'. I admire very much how Takaya-sensei writes such joy and playfulness into the transformations and the reactions to them (the earlier piece where Momiji becomes the rabbit and Yuki distracts his classmates, for example) and so implicates the reader in Tohru's sense that this is cute, fun, only to have Hatori express the danger. But what danger is there? Tohru does not know, nor does the reader -- although Momiji's recounting that Akito blinded Hatori does identify Akito as a threat, and the fact that Hatori was unable to blame Akito because 'that is part of the curse' is interesting -- is it that Akito's behaviour is part of the curse and so Akito is in some sense helpless? Or is Hatori literally unable to blame Akito for things because the curse forbids such emotions? The possibilities are intriguing.

The difference between running away from the Sohma home, and running towards Tohru, the new home.

And finally, Hatori's story from his own point of view, how he could not choose Kana over Akito, but Yuki is (at least briefly) choosing Tohru. Oh, I could go on & on, but it is more personal rumination than review, and so perhaps better for another venue. I am very, very fond of these books. (hide spoiler)]

I can't believe what I just read. This series is so great, it makes me want my eyes to melt in its mercy. (Okay, maybe not really...) But this is amazing! Tohru's personality characteristics make me actually feel bad about myself, from her worrying about being bothersome to her friends and family, to the selfless act of giving up her own New Years, just so everyone else could enjoy theirs. Now THAT, is great character development. Now, digging deeper into the actual manga itself, we meet a couplI can't believe what I just read. This series is so great, it makes me want my eyes to melt in its mercy. (Okay, maybe not really...) But this is amazing! Tohru's personality characteristics make me actually feel bad about myself, from her worrying about being bothersome to her friends and family, to the selfless act of giving up her own New Years, just so everyone else could enjoy theirs. Now THAT, is great character development. Now, digging deeper into the actual manga itself, we meet a couple more characters, including Hatori, and Momiji. Hatori is the Souma family's 'doctor', who very rarely checks up on other patients out of the family. You kind of get a background check on him too, but I won't go into detail on that too much. I feel bad for him, but its still like: "You only did that because of the person incharge of the Souma family decisions and stuff!" (Sorry person, I kind of forgot your name... Oops!)Momiji is SOOO adorable!! (Sorry, I have to relate it to other manga's, it's a sad habit of mine:) He is a combination of Toto from Deadman Wonderland, and of Honey from Ouran Highschool Host Club.And best of all, HE'S A FREAKING BUNNY RABBIT!!!!! Although some people might not agree with me, bunny wabbits are freaking adorable. Especially Momiji. What's even cooler is that he's a German-Japanese, (not to mention BUNNY RABBIT!)One part in this manga I just want to point out so I don't forget, (i'll still probably forget) is the part when Uo-chan and Hana-chan came over for a sleepover, and Tohru told the story of how she got this one hat. Don't know where the hat came from, didn't see it at all anytime before that part, sooo.... :/She tells of a mysterious boy she was chasing for no particular reason wearing a hat, and he was just to fast for her. Then she suddenly realized she was back at her house, and she was wearing the hat. Before she could see who it was or where he went, the boy left. And all the while, Kyou is secretly listening in. I think the boy has to be...... YUKI!!!!! Haha, nah. Kyou is so suspicious for that, and I don't really get how it fits in with everything, but eh, I wanted to point it out. It's also a cute scene too.

Btw, I just realized that my Zodiac animal is the dragon.... SEAHORSE!!!! I don't even know what kind of water I need!! (Kana and Tohru's reactions were totally awesome. That's what I would've done!)I don't think there's anything else I really need to say, but if there is I'll just add it later.Can't wait to read the 3rd manga!! (Which will be my first time, I already read the first and second one twice!)...more

Overall Rating: A to the cute powerSynopsis: Fruits Basket is a shōjo manga series created by Natsuki Takaya that follows the life of Tohru Honda. When the series begins, Tohru is living in a tent in the woods after being recently orphaned when her mother died in a car accident. Somehow, Tohru is able to remain optimistic despite all the shit she has had to go through.

While wandering through the forest she's living in, she runs across the house of the Sohma family. As it happens, Tohru goes toOverall Rating: A to the cute powerSynopsis: Fruits Basket is a shōjo manga series created by Natsuki Takaya that follows the life of Tohru Honda. When the series begins, Tohru is living in a tent in the woods after being recently orphaned when her mother died in a car accident. Somehow, Tohru is able to remain optimistic despite all the shit she has had to go through.

While wandering through the forest she's living in, she runs across the house of the Sohma family. As it happens, Tohru goes to school with Yuki Sohma, who is known as the Prince, because of how fucking hot he is. Yuki and his cousin Shigure take pity on Tohru and invite her to live with them in exchange for doing the cleaning and cooking for them. Soon, Tohru learns that the Sohmas are hiding a terrible secret...they turn into cute animal versions of the zodiac if they are hugged by a member of the opposite sex that isn't also a Sohma. Things just get crazier when she meets more of the family.

Fruits Basket is the best kind of romance series, the kind with lots of crushes, but nothing overt, and interesting relationships (not necessarily the romantic kind). Take, for instance, when Kyo Sohma shows up. As I mentioned in the summary, the Sohmas all turn into cute versions of the zodiac when hugged by a member of the opposite sex. Yuki is the rat, Shigure is the dog, and Kyo is the cat. You may be thinking that there is no cat in the zodiac, and you would be right. However, there is a legend that says the cat would have would have been in the zodiac, if it had not been tricked by the rat into missing the induction feast. As a result, Kyo hates Yuki, and constantly tries to fight him. Unfortunately, for Kyo, he can't even land a decent hit on Yuki, let alone beat him up.

It's easy to love this series. The back story on the various members of the Sohma family is interesting (why does Kyo hate Yuki so much?) and trying to figure out which member of the zodiac new characters are is lots of fun (I love the Dragon's zodiac form). If you're looking for something light and fun to read, Fruits Basket is a good choice. Beware though, the series is 23 volumes long!

Natsuki Takaya (高屋 奈月 Takaya Natsuki, real name Naka Hatake) is the penname of a Japanese manga artist best-known for creating the series Fruits Basket. She was born on July 7, 1973; (Tanabata). Takaya is left-handed and once revealed that she wanted to be a mangaka since first grade, when her sister started drawing.

She was born in Shizuoka, Japan, but was raised in Tokyo, where she made her debuNatsuki Takaya (高屋 奈月 Takaya Natsuki, real name Naka Hatake) is the penname of a Japanese manga artist best-known for creating the series Fruits Basket. She was born on July 7, 1973; (Tanabata). Takaya is left-handed and once revealed that she wanted to be a mangaka since first grade, when her sister started drawing.

She was born in Shizuoka, Japan, but was raised in Tokyo, where she made her debut in 1992. She enjoys video games such as the Final Fantasy series or Sakura Wars, or working on her different manga series, such as Fruits Basket, which is the second best-selling shōjo manga ever in Japan, and the top selling shōjo manga in North America. Fruits Basket has also been adapted into a twenty-six-episode anime series.

In 2001, Takaya received a Kodansha Manga Award for shōjo manga for Fruits Basket.

According to Takaya (in a sidebar of a Fruits Basket manga volume), she enjoys drawing girls (girly ones) more than she does boys. Takaya also enjoys electronics and music, but dislikes talking about herself. Also revealed in a sidebar of Fruits Basket, Takaya broke her drawing arm (left) after Fruits Basket volume six was published. She had to go into surgery, and as a result, had put Fruits Basket on a brief hiatus. Takaya made a full recovery, but complains that her handwriting had gotten uglier, due to the surgery. During her hospital stay, she gained an interest in baseball....more

“Sometimes it feels like the whole world is conspiring to destroy my house... "- Shigure Sohma”
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“When did you become a woman?"-HatoriHow dare you ask that after you have seen me naked so many times..."-YukiGASP! No it cant be! Yuki-kun, does that mean..." fan club girlsNO! He's my doctor..."Yuki”
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